..續本文上一頁 and discernment don”t have to work, and even the defilements take a rest.
Once we reach this level, there is never a moment where the mind”s attention lapses. This is thus called super-mindfulness and super-discernment. How could it lapse
It stays right with ”what knows ” at all times. Mindfulness and discernment exist together in this one mind and have become one and the same thing. So where could they lapse
Once mindfulness and discernment are continuous, we can speak in this way.
Before, we were never able to know how much the mind scrambled, stumbled, and fell. But when we reach the level where these things become one and the same, then as soon as there”s a rippling in the mind, we are right there up on it. Instantly. Instantly. Whatever gets thought, we are progressively more and more up on it. And especially if it”s a matter of defilement, then mindfulness and discernment are extra quick. But if the mind is an ordinary mind, it doesn”t know. Even if defilements climb up and defecate on our head from dawn to dusk and from dusk to dawn, we can”t be aware of them.
In the area of the practice, we practice on our own and know on our own. That”s when things become clear. Let”s see right and wrong clearly within ourselves. Let”s know things clearly within ourselves. Only then can we be certain. Once we have practiced and come to know, we can be courageous in what we say and courageous within the heart, with no fear that we might be speaking wrongly or venturing guesses. We are sure of ourselves from having practiced.
To strip away the things that bind the heart has to be difficult. For those who are weak-willed, it”s especially difficult. There is no way they can succeed, because they keep creating obstacles for themselves whenever they are about to develop goodness or break away the binding of unawareness and craving from around the heart. To break open the binding of the wheel of rebirth depends mainly on our being earnest and intent: That”s what will clear our way. This is why living beings don”t want to touch that binding, don”t want to break it open.
Our earnest intent is what will lead us to know exactly how extraordinary the things taught by the Buddha really are. When we have this kind of earnest intent toward the Dhamma filling the heart, then no matter how difficult things become, we won”t let that difficulty bother us or become an obstacle. We want solely to know, to see, to understand. We feel motivated solely to think, ponder, and investigate in line with the aspects of the Dhamma we want to know and see.
This has us engrossed day and night — engrossed in our desire to know and see, engrossed in the results we obtain step by step, engrossed in probing and cutting away the defilements and mental effluents. These lie nowhere but in the heart — except when the heart grabs hold of external things that are harmful and toxic, and brings them inward to overpower itself to no purpose. The mind thus has to probe, investigate, remedy, and slash away inside itself because these are the things that bind the heart. The heart is what makes itself unruly and reckless, roaming about, collecting these things to burn itself, because it doesn”t have the good sense to avoid them or remedy them. For this reason, we need to develop a great deal of mindfulness and discernment.
The Buddha was always teaching mindfulness and discernment.
nisamma karanam seyyo:
”Use discernment to consider before doing anything,” in order to guard against error. Both in inner and outer activities, mindfulness and discernment are always important. But usually when the mind thinks of doing anything, we don”t consider it first. Even if we don”t consider things while we think of doing them, we should at least consider them when the mind has made contac…
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